Keep Track of Your Employees’ Well-being

This Thursday, 9 September is the nation’s R U OK? Day. The focus of this event is to encourage Australians to initiate a conversation with their colleagues, friends and family by asking the important question - “R U OK?”. 

Mental health has been a big concern to many, especially ever since the implementation of lockdown back in 2020. One in five Australians reported their mental health as fair to poor. By January 2021, it was recorded that 22% of Australians’ mental health had worsened after the introduction of restrictions and lockdown.

Further, LifeLine reports receiving the most calls to its support line in its history. In fact, 4 of the busiest days in its 57-year history, and 6 of 10 of their all-time busiest days all happened within 1 month. 

How to Help?

As you are more aware of investing some of your attention to your employees’ mental health, you may ask - What should we do? You should take time to invest in your employees’ well-being. It will not cost you a fortune and it is guaranteed that your employees will feel valued and have a sense of belonging in your business.

1. Mental Health & Well-being Policy

Embedding such a policy enables transparency between you and your employees. This communicates to them that their mental health is significant and that their well-being is a priority at the workplace. With a policy in place, it will provide them with the support they need and that they should not be afraid of the stigma around mental illness.

Getting an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) may also be favourable for your employees. There are programs that will give assistance to struggling employees where they provide full confidentiality and 24/7 qualified counsellors. Having an EAP in place does not only benefit your employees but will also enhance their spirit, efficiency and loyalty. 

Subsequently, the Australian government initiated a wide range of inclusions to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) to support the provision of care via telehealth. The adoption of telehealth has shown to be effective as the delivery of mental health services has soared ever since March 2021.

2. Organise Social Activities

Giving employees the support they need is not only providing them with beneficial services, it is about building a workplace with a meaningful culture. The majority of us who are non-essential workers are already feeling isolated due to the restrictions in place. Hence, many are desperate to make connections and want social interactions. Whether it is a Monday Morning Breakfast Club or Friday After Work Virtual Drinks, it encourages collaboration and participation from all employees.

If employees are within the restricted distance of each other, it would also be good to have a social bubble - get paired up and go for a morning stroll along the river and park. Maintaining physical health is as important as taking care of our mental health. Nonetheless, always reinforce the importance of social distancing, sanitizing and wearing face masks when they are out and about.

3. Encourage and Promote Positive Reinforcement

Conserving engagement within the business can be challenging. One way is to acknowledge and reward your employees for their dedicated time and effort in producing quality work and results. Gifting them with incentives will boost their self-esteem and can be beneficial to those who are struggling with mental health.

Besides that, be sure to give positive feedback when conversing with your employees. This action will create a custom where employees will feel psychologically safe at work and will not be anxious that their mistakes will lead them to unemployment. A safe work environment tends to have great success as it stimulates innovation and confidence from employees.

What’s my course of action?

Employees respond positively to being recognised and appreciated. This can include positive reinforcement for a job well done, recognising their personal and professional milestones, and saying “thank you” to your frontline workers. 

Whether you want to deliver instant rewards on-demand in real-time to your employees, partner, customers or anyone in your network, True Rewards has the capability to help you organise those listings with customisable solutions. Simplify how you recognise and acknowledge staff with this simple plug-and-play API solution so you can track and manage your staff recognition in one platform.  

Find out how iGo managed to provide business solutions to over 2000+ Australian brands.

If you feel (or know someone) distressed and need someone to talk to, please call Lifeline Australia at 13 11 14.